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With Wimbledon all set to kick off next week, both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be chasing undisputed greatness.
With eight Wimbledon titles and 20 Grand Slams overall, Federer will be looking to further his claim to the GOAT title with yet another winning run on the lawns of SW19.
The Swiss, however, has not had great preparation ahead of the grasscourt Major and faces a battle to find his best form.
In addition to his own issues, the Swiss will also face stern opposition from Novak Djokovic, who dashed Federer's hopes of a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title in 2019.
Novak Djokovic, with his haul of five titles at Wimbledon, has proven he is also one of the greatest grasscourters of all time. The Serb has taken apart his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on grass, underlining his credentials on the surface.
On that note, here is a look at what we believe is the list of the 10 greatest grasscourters in the Open Era:
10. Stefan Edberg
Grass wins: 99
Grass titles won: 1985 Australian Open, 1987 Australian Open, 1988 Wimbledon, 1990 Wimbledon, 1991 Queen's Club Championships
Wimbledon titles won: 2
Stefan Edberg shot into the limelight in 1985, when he triumphed in his first Major final at the Australian Open. The Swede successfully defended his title in the next edition of the tournament, which was the last time the Happy Slam was held on grass.
With his serve-and-volley and one-handed backhand, Edberg rose to No. 1 and won six Grand Slam titles in his career.
The Swede reached the finals at Wimbledon for three consecutive years from 1988-90, and faced rival Boris Becker on all three occasions.
Edberg's rivalry with Becker became one of Wimbledon's greatest stories; Edberg won their first encounter in four sets, but was beaten in straight sets by the German in the 1989 final. Edberg had the last laugh though, edging Becker in a five-set thriller the following year.
9. Rod Laver
Grass wins: 89
Grass titles won: 1968 Wimbledon, 1969 Australian Open, 1969 Wimbledon, 1969 US Open, 1968 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, 1969 Baltimore Professional Championships, 1970 Dunlop Slazenger International, 1970 Queen's Club Championships, 1970 Marlboro Open
Wimbledon titles won: 2
Although Rod Laver's tennis career ran for more than two decades, it is important to note that the Australian competed as a professional only from 1968 with the dawn of the Open Era.
Laver, also known as "Rocket Rod," monopolized the grasscourts, the predominant surface in the sport's early years, taking home five Grand Slam titles and countless others trophies.
The Australian continued his winning ways following the advent of the Open Era, becoming the first player ever to complete the Calendar Grand Slam in 1969.
Oddly enough, Laver's dominance soon waned and he made way for stars like Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. Having said that, the Australian's legacy on grass cannot be disputed. He won two Wimbledons titles and possessed a nearly 85% win-loss record on the surface.
8. Rafael Nadal
Grass wins: 71
Grass titles won: 2008 Queen's Club Championships, 2008 Wimbledon, 2010 Wimbledon, 2015 Stuttgart Open
Wimbledon titles won: 2
Rafael Nadal has always had a good aptitude for grass, regardless of his track record at Wimbledon.
The Spaniard emerged as the main threat to Roger Federer's dominance in the late-2000s, going on to create a fabled rivalry spanning 38 high-quality matches, including title deciders at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Nadal tasted defeat in his first two finals against Federer at the All-England Club, but exacted revenge in 2008, in a match that is widely considered the greatest of all time.
Although the Spaniard couldn't defend his title the following year, he was again in his element in 2010 as he beat Tomas Berdych to win his second title at the All-England Club.
That was, unfortunately, Nadal's last Wimbledon triumph.
The Spaniard failed to make a deep run at the grasscourt Slam from 2012-17. He went on to reach the semifinals in 2018 and 2019, but lost to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer respectively.
7. Jimmy Connors
Grass wins: 185
Grass titles won: 1974 Australian Open, 1974 Wimbledon, 1974 US Open, 1982 Wimbledon, 1972 Queen's Club Championships, 1974 Manchester Open, 1982 Queen's Club Championships, 1983 Queen's Club Championships,
Wimbledon titles won: 2
In a career spanning around 22 years, Jimmy Connors was able to compete in multiple eras of the sport.
In 1974, the American became the second male player in the Open Era (after Laver) to win three Majors in a calendar year as he went all the way at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open - all of which were organized on grasscourts back then.
Connors monopolized the No. 1 ranking after his scintillating run in the early 70s, but soon found his position threatened by a young Bjorn Borg. The American was bested by Borg in four Slam finals, two of which came at Wimbledon (1977-78).
Connors played with renewed vigor in the 1980s and had his last hurrah at Wimbledon in 1982, when he came back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat John McEnroe.
The American did reach one more Wimbledon final in 1984, but he was routed by McEnroe for the loss of five games.
6. Boris Becker
Grass wins: 116
Grass titles won: 1985 Wimbledon, 1986 Wimbledon, 1989 Wimbledon, 1990 Wimbledon, 1985 Queen's Club Championships, 1987 Queen's Club Championships, 1988 Queen's Club Championships, 1996 Queen's Club Championships
Wimbledon titles won: 3
Boris Becker burst onto the scene at a young age. The German won his first two pro-tour singles titles at Queen's Club and Wimbledon aged 17, claiming the latter title as an unseeded player and becoming the tournament's youngest winner till date.
Becker successfully defended his Wimbledon title in 1986, defeating then-World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the championship match.
The German, popularly known as "Boom Boom Becker" due to his big serve, went on to reach four consecutive finals at SW19 between 1988-91, but won only one of them against Stefan Edberg.
The German notably reached at least the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for eight consecutive years until 1996. Becker won his final grasscourt title in 1996 at Queen's, fittingly beating Edberg in the final.
5. John McEnroe
Grass wins: 121
Grass titles won: 1981 Wimbledon, 1983 Wimbledon, 1984 Wimbledon, 1979 Queen's Club Championships, 1980 Queen's Club Championships, 1980 South Pacific Championships, 1981 Queen's Club Championships, 1984 Queen's Club Championships
Wimbledon titles won: 3
John McEnroe excelled on faster surfaces during his time. The Superbrat particularly enjoyed playing on carpet, where he holds the record for highest win percentage at 84.2%.
That said, the American was no slouch on grass and dominated the early '80s with his wily serve-and-volleys.
McEnroe reached four consecutive Wimbledon finals from 1980-84. The ill-tempered American lost his first final to five-time Wimbledon winner Bjorn Borg in an all-time classic, but defeated his archrival the following year to win his maiden title at the All-England Club.
After losing to Jimmy Connors in the 1982 Wimbledon final, McEnroe went on to win two back-to-back titles in 1983-84, thereby establishing himself as one of the best grasscourters to have played the game.
Although McEnroe took a sabbatical after a mediocre season in 1985 and failed to hit top form upon his return, the American still managed to reach two more Wimbledon semifinals - in 1989 and 1992.
4. Bjorn Borg
Grass wins: 72
Grass titles won: 1976 Wimbledon, 1977 Wimbledon, 1978 Wimbledon, 1979 Wimbledon, 1980 Wimbledon, 1974 Benson & Hedges Open, 1974 Adelaide Championships
Wimbledon titles won: 5
Bjorn Borg's charisma and dominance helped make him a household name in the 1970s. The Swede won his first singles title on grass in Auckland at the age of 17, marking the first of his many exploits on the surface.
A young Borg soon established a vice-like grip on Wimbledon, winning five consecutive titles. Borg is the only player apart from Roger Federer to feature in the final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon for four consecutive years (1978–81), and the only man to win both three years on the trot (1978–80).
The Swede won his fifth and final Wimbledon title in impressive fashion in 1980, defeating arch-rival John McEnroe in a thrilling final.
Borg retired from the sport a year later at the age of 26 after having written his name into the record books.
3. Novak Djokovic
Grass wins: 95
Grass titles won: 2011 Wimbledon, 2014 Wimbledon, 2015 Wimbledon, 2018 Wimbledon, 2019 Wimbledon, 2016 Eastbourne International
Wimbledon titles won: 5
Novak Djokovic was widely considered a pretender to the throne when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were ruling the roost in the late 2000s. Many questioned whether the Serb had it in him to challenge the legendary duo at the top, but Djokovic soon went on to silence the doubters.
Djokovic truly broke through in 2011, when he rose to the World No. 1 spot for the first time on the back of a thumping victory over two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal at the All-England Club.
Djokovic then tasted victory at Wimbledon in 2014 and 2015, defeating Roger Federer in two of the most tightly contested best-of-five matches on grass in the last decade. With the latter victory, Djokovic became the second player in the Open era (after Laver) to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once.
A serious elbow injury threatened to compromise Djokovic's career and he failed to do well at Wimbledon in the following years. However, the Serb soon rekindled his best form, beating Nadal en route to the title in 2018.
The Serb followed that up with a five-set win over Roger Federer the following year, prevailing in the longest Wimbledon final in tennis history.
2. Pete Sampras
Grass wins: 101
Grass titles won: 1993 Wimbledon, 1995 Wimbledon, 1997 Wimbledon, 1998 Wimbledon, 1999 Wimbledon, 2000 Wimbledon, 1990 Manchester Open, 1995 Queen's Club Championships, 1999 Queen's Club Championships
Wimbledon titles won: 7
Pete Sampras is widely considered the most dominant tennis player after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, He held the World No. 1 position for 286 weeks -- the third highest of all time.
The American notably finished as the year-end No. 1 a record six consecutive times between 1993-98, a period during which he exerted his dominance at Wimbledon.
It is pertinent to note that Sampras was ranked No. 1 in all of his seven Wimbledon triumphs, meaning the big-serving American was in top gear on grass for virtually all of his career.
Sampras is one of four players to have never lost a final at his most successful Slam. His record in Wimbledon finals is the third-best in the Open era behind Djokovic (9-0 in Australian Open finals) and Rafael Nadal (13-0 in Roland Garros finals).
The American is also the only male player to win three or more consecutive Wimbledon titles multiple times in his career.
#1 Roger Federer
Grass wins: 187
Grass titles won: 2003 Wimbledon, 2004 Wimbledon, 2005 Wimbledon, 2006 Wimbledon, 2007 Wimbledon, 2009 Wimbledon, 2012 Wimbledon, 2017 Wimbledon, 2003 Halle Open, 2004 Halle Open,2005 Halle Open, 2006 Halle Open, 2007 Halle Open, 2008 Halle Open, 2013 Halle Open, 2014 Halle Open, 2015 Halle Open, 2017 Halle Open, 2018 Stuttgart Open, 2019 Halle Open
Wimbledon titles won: 8
Roger Federer has by far been the most successful player on grass, taking home a whopping eight Wimbledon titles (from 12 finals).
The Swiss maestro has won the most grasscourt titles in the Open era (19) and is the only player to have taken home at least 10 titles on each of the three surfaces (hardcourt, grass, clay).
The Swiss' pedigree grasscourt pedigree will likely never be matched. The Swiss triumphed at Wimbledon five consecutive times from 2003-07, beating archrival Rafael Nadal in two of those finals.
During this period, Federer eviscerated his competition in a manner never seen before, as he won a record 34 sets on the trot at SW19, a streak that came to an end in the 2006 final.
Federer also reached at least the quarterfinals of the grasscourt Slam a whopping 17 times in his career. The Swiss maestro has lost some monumental championship matches against his career rivals at Wimbledon, but that does little to undermine his legacy at SW19.
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